"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

"For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,

For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.

Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more [shall we not escape] if we turn away from Him who [speaks] from heaven,

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

"For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every [branch] that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.

And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch [that] You made strong for Yourself.

[It is] burned with fire, [it is] cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected [it] to bring forth [good] grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.

What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected [it] to bring forth [good] grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?

I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it."

When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come [and] set them on fire. For it [is] a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor.

"Son of man, how is the wood of the vine [better] than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?

"Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for [any] work?

" Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

He also spoke this parable: "A certain [man] had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

"But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize [it.]

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned.

but if it bears thorns and briars, [it is] rejected and near to being cursed, whose end [is] to be burned.

For the time [has come] for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if [it begins] with us first, what will [be] the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"